East Tennessee State University has updated its ETSU Response website to provide information on how to support those affected by Hurricane Irma.

This Category 4 storm made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sunday, Sept. 10, with 142 mph sustained winds. In addition to the strong winds, storm surges and heavy rains have caused major damage throughout the state of Florida, as well as many island nations in the Caribbean. Approximately 6.5 million Florida residents were ordered to evacuate their homes. More than 40 deaths have been reported throughout the Caribbean and the U.S., including six in Florida. Millions of Florida and Georgia residents are currently without power.

The website, www.etsu.edu/response, was recently activated to give the university and surrounding community ways to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey in August, and now provides a listing of organizations accepting donations to help victims of Hurricane Irma, including the Center for International Disaster Information, Global Giving’s Irma Relief Fund, National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the American Red Cross. The website also provides links to support services for ETSU students and employees who may have been affected by this disaster.

The ETSU Response website has been used several times in the past to give individuals a way to provide assistance for victims of disasters both near and far. In 2016 alone, it was activated six times to help following the Sevier County wildfires, Hurricane Matthew, flooding in Louisiana, the shooting attack at an Orlando nightclub and earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan. Previously, it was used to assist victims of the earthquake in Nepal in 2015, the tornadoes in Greene County and tsunami in Japan in 2011, and the Millercrest Apartments fire in Johnson City and earthquake in Haiti in 2010.

For more information, call the ETSU Office of Student Affairs at 423-439-4210.